He will now be joining Barcelona in a deal in which Liverpool are to receive £105m up front – a British record – for the 25-year-old Brazil international, with the rest in realistic add-ons. He will be offered a five and half year contract at Nou Camp. His buyout clause is expected to be in the excess of €400m(£355m).

Coutinho joined Liverpool from Inter Milan in January 2013 for £8.5m and has gone on to become a star for the club. His transfer fee will now only be behind the duo of PSG’s Neymar and Mbappe fees.

Despite signing a new deal just, a year ago at Anfield, when the opportunity to move to Barcelona arises, he could not say no to his dream club as he forced a move in the summer and vowed not to play for Liverpool again before all were settled which made this winter deal a quite easy one compared to the summer drama.

Barcelona will not be able to use Coutinho against Chelsea in the champions league and in subsequent champions league matches this season as he is cup tied but will be available for the league game and could be on his way to winning his first career league title with Barcelona come May.

Barcelona will be getting a long-term replacement for Iniesta in a younger and more dynamic Coutinho. Coutinho will on the other hand be joining a club where he can play alongside the best in the world and cement his name in world football. It’s a win-win scenario.